Dynamos/CAPS match brought forward

[Posted 26 Jul 2012][By Brighton Mupangavanhu]

The cloud which has been hanging over the staging of the country's biggest derby between Dynamos and CAPS United appears to have cleared with news that the match will now be played on Saturday at Rufaro Stadium.

The Premier Soccer League management and ZIFA were deadlocked over when the match should be played. The fixture, which had been slated for Sunday in the capital, had to be moved after Zifa's intervention.

The soccer governing body argued that the staging of the match on the same date that the Zimbabwe Under 20 will play Angola could result in counter attraction and does not benefit national teams. They had ordered that the match be move to mid-week, which the PSL though was unworkable.

The PSL argued that a big derby match pitting Dynamos and CAPS cannot be played mid-week for every reason in the book. Firstly, there was a risk of something going wrong at night given large crowds which usually attend such fixtures, and secondly, it was not a good move, business-wise.

A settlement appears to have been reached now, with news that the PSL and its affiliates, Dynamos, as the home team, and CAPS have agreed to stage the match on Saturday. Zifa who appeared to have unreasonably blocked the Saturday option earlier, now have seen the light.

“The game has been set for Saturday at Rufaro. We have cleared
everything with Zifa. The other issues about the national team also
training there will be addressed tomorrow (today),” PSL CEO Kennedy Ndebele confirmed.

The stalemate which, thank goodness, has finally been resolved brings to question the issue of good governance and planning between the PSL and ZIFA.

Why did this matter have to be resolved a few days before the matches involving the Young Warriors/Angola and the Dynamos v CAPS fixture, when both organizations knew that they had such fixtures more than three months ago?

One thing which Zifa has to be applauded for is their stance that there should not be counter attraction when any national team has a fixture, implying that all other local league fixtures have to be cancelled. This should be extended to CAF club competitions in which Zimbabwean teams participate, especially if such matches have to be played in Harare or Bulawayo.

It is also hoped that Zifa will back up this ambitious plan or vision with better and improved planning. Such a policy shift should not only be announced on the eve of fixtures, and should not be an impromptu decision.

Policy matters should follow broad consultation with stakeholders such as the PSL and its constituents who should in fact buy-into the noble idea of avoiding counter attractions when national teams are playing at home.